CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

“Cross East Lothian Active Freeway”

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    (Should I be aware of this?)

    “

    Phase 7: Wallyford Toll Roundabout

    ….

    We would like to invite you to join us for an online discussion session on the Wallyford Toll project with other local groups. The project is looking to provide active travel improvements at the roundabout (Google Maps link) to make it safer for people walking, wheeling, and cycling.

    The session will take place on Tuesday 19 September 2023, between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. The event will be a virtual meeting and will consist of a presentation followed by discussions in breakout rooms. The event will take place on Microsoft Teams.

    …

    If you are unable to attend, please let me know and we would be happy to arrange a separate call. If you would prefer to provide comments or questions via email, these can be sent to myself and / or wallyfordtollroundabout@aecom.com.

    “

    https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/wallyford-toll

    Posted 7 months ago #

  2. neddie
    Member

    This will be useful as an inland route - it's a bit more than just Wallyford Toll roundabout, there's a route planned from Dunbar to Wallyford Toll via East Linton and Haddington.

    I encourage all to fill out the survey

    More info: https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210566/roads_and_transport/12809/cross_east_lothian_active_freeway

    That said though, why won't they fix the gaps in the coastal route, particularly Longniddry to Aberlady?

    Posted 7 months ago #

  3. Yodhrin
    Member

    Is there news on the Musselburgh stretch mentioned? The website times out and all I can find by google is a consultation from 2021.

    As for this proposal - how is this still a thing? Shared paths into shared crossings into split cycle provision that just feeds right back into shared crossings, literally why bother. Either pretend you're a proper modern council that employs at least some Officers that aren't from the 20th century transportation Dark Ages and do a bloody Dutch design, or give up the pretense and just make it all wide shared-use.

    Posted 7 months ago #

  4. neddie
    Member

    I think shared-use is OK in the countryside, the important thing being that it's given proper priority at junctions, so you're not having to continually stop / jink at every driveway & side road

    Posted 7 months ago #

  5. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    Proper width shared use would work quite well on a lot of the A199, side roads and entrances are pretty few and far apart. Let's face it, it's either that or more painted lanes and that works really well for Tranent-Haddington /sarcasm

    Unbelievably, I don't think there's currently any marked cycle provision between East Linton and Amisfield Mains (just before Haddington r/about).

    Posted 7 months ago #

  6. neddie
    Member

    yes, as Muran says, shared-use needs to be wide, with a decent buffer between the path and the road

    Posted 7 months ago #

  7. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Active Freeways are intervention 3c in the National Transport Strategy Delivery Plan:

    "Over the lifetime of the next Parliament, we are committing an additional £50 million to ‘Active Freeways’ which will involve identification and design development of the strategic active travel network, to provide segregated active travel routes on main travel corridors to city and town centres and major trip attractors linking communities throughout Scotland"

    and you can find them referenced in paras 3.3.18 and 3.3.22 of the Climate Change Plan update:

    "2025

    Need for any new petrol and diesel light commercial vehicles in public bodies phased out.

    Delivery of our first Active Freeways: segregated active travel routes on main travel corridors."

    Carlton Reid's map of former cycle ways includes one along the A198 between Seton Mains and Longniddry. I had misremembered it as being along the original A1 route east of Haddington. It's not very long, of course, but was probably wider before the road was dualled.

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1yoi-eZVATatYQfhMiKh4PpaSQro&hl=en&ll=55.98065412840397%2C-2.8842554039001778&z=9

    and now:

    https://goo.gl/maps/mP566uBmsJPyxZRx8

    Posted 7 months ago #

  8. boothym
    Member

    Unbelievably, I don't think there's currently any marked cycle provision between East Linton and Amisfield Mains (just before Haddington r/about).

    Technically there is - however it's just a not very wide pavement with a few blue shared use signs at various points...

    https://goo.gl/maps/hZeL69nUrP8aVq788

    Connecting up the A199 villages/towns by adding a 3-4m shared use path in between them shouldn't be that difficult, there's plenty of space with the already wide carriageway, painted cycle lanes on either side and verges.

    Posted 7 months ago #

  9. mcairney
    Member

    I always thought that dual-carriageway stretch was a remnant of when it was the old A1. It's crying out to be reduced to a single carriageway and a a decent path and cycle lane put in place given the dualled section must be only around a mile long

    Posted 7 months ago #

  10. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    “ Technically there is - however it's just a not very wide pavement with a few blue shared use signs at various points...”

    Thanks - I did check various junctions but nothing. Which begs the question how one is supposed to know…

    Posted 7 months ago #

  11. boothym
    Member

    Via: https://twitter.com/nigelbagshaw/status/1778774790469308528

    https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/east-lothian-roads-hundreds-sign-petition-against-cutting-speed-limit-on-old-a1-to-allow-cycle-path-4588541

    Says the reduction from NSL to 40mph on the A199 has been approved as otherwise they'd need to widen the cycle path onto private land, and funds from outside sources (Sustrans?) were subject to the reduced speed limit being part of the project.

    One of the comments on the 650 signature petition - "There's already a cycle path there which cost thousands*. Cyclists should have to use the cycle path provided or be fined if they don’t!" *(no there's not)

    Funny that when cyclists are on the road they get told to use the cycle path (even if it's not suitable or doesn't go where they're going) yet drivers have an issue with using their own dedicated parallel A1 dual carriageway...

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

  12. mcairney
    Member

    Yep it's actually hilarious how much gnashing of teeth there is over reducing the limit from 60-40 on a 8-mile stretch of road is. It'll add what, about 4 minutes of travel time on? I've seen traffic light cycles that take longer than that.
    Not to mention that there's literally a dual carriageway running parallel to it.
    And people say cyclists are entitled...

    Turns out that stretch is longer than I thought (hence the revised timings)!

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

  13. gembo
    Member

    Very under used road that. They should increase the speed limit to 80mph and allow drivers to divert off the new A1 dual carriage way

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    Generally speaking…

    “

    A network of “active freeways” to encourage people to cycle between Scotland’s town and city centres and outlying areas is “on the back burner” despite ministers’ ambitious target of cutting car use, a new book has claimed.

    Cycling journalist Laura Laker wrote in Potholes and Pavements – a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network (NCN), which is published on May 9: “Things are moving very slowly, if they’re moving at all.

    “

    https://web.archive.org/web/20240414082143/https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/scotlands-promised-active-freeways-cycle-routes-on-the-back-burner-4589723

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

  15. Morningsider
    Member

    Active-travel freeways are not "on the back burner". They have never existed in any meaningful sense, not even as a policy. They were simply 'an announcement'. Political flim-flam aimed at burnishing the Scottish Government's green credentials and momentarily distracting people from looking at where the money is really going - new road building.

    What constitutes an 'active travel freeway' has never been defined. There is no specific budget to deliver them. There is no plan to build them and they have rarely been mentioned since their initial annoucement.

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

  16. Frenchy
    Member

    Spokes asked Transport Scotland last year:

    What are active travel freeways? Who will fund them and who will build them?

    The response was:

    "Transport Scotland will identify and progress design development of the strategic active freeways network, including an appraisal methodology for identifying the most appropriate locations for this investment and which could be used for future investment decisions in active travel routes in Autumn 2023. Some local authorities through the Bus Partnership Fund are designing complimentary active travel routes based on Active Freeway principles."

    I'm not convinced that we learned anything by asking.

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

  17. Morningsider
    Member

    Pretty sure I saw 'Active Freeway Principles' at the Jazz Cellar a while back.

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

  18. gembo
    Member

    Sadly now closed

    Posted 2 weeks ago #

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